RAD Intros Layer 2 VPN Gateways

TEL AVIV -- At CeBIT 2005 in Hanover, Germany, RAD Data Communications will be introducing Egate™, its new family of affordable Ethernet-over-SDH/SONET gateways, which enables transparent, seamless LAN connectivity between remote locations over existing E1/T1 or fractional E1/T1 physical ports.

The Egate-20 and Egate-100 allow service providers to offer transparent Layer 2 services (VPNs and Internet access, for example) over E1/T1 lines, while reducing equipment costs and simplifying network maintenance.

“Egate provides a solution to service providers that need to map Ethernet over E1/T1 circuits and then hand the Ethernet traffic to the packet-switched backbone,” explains Ramon Horkany, Egate Product Line Manager at RAD. “These include ISPs, regional service providers and competitive city carriers, which typically transport their customers’ Layer 2 LANs over an incumbent’s SDH infrastructure,” he adds. “Major corporations that maintain their own networks can also benefit from this solution, since it will allow them to connect remote offices that are not currently reached due to an absence of Next Generation infrastructure in the field.”

The Egate-20 has up to four 10/100BaseT ports connecting to the packet network and eight E1/T1 ports connecting remote subscribers to the service. The Egate-100 features Gigabit Ethernet ports on the network side and OC-3/STM-1 ports on the subscriber side. Ports can be configured to be clear channel (G.703) or channelised (G.703 and G.704), supporting up to 256 logical connections (on the Egate-20) and 512 (on the Egate-100).

Both Egate devices map Ethernet traffic over E1/T1 or timeslot bundles to specific VLANs, interconnecting remote subscribers to the packet network. The double VLAN tagging option transports user traffic transparently, keeping all the user LAN settings intact.

The Egates are controlled via in-band or out-of-band management from the Fast Ethernet user port. Management traffic and user Ethernet traffic are transported together on the same Ethernet flow, separated by different VLANs. This provides complete separation of user traffic from management traffic, ensuring management and user traffic security. The Egate reduces the service provider’s expenses by replacing expensive router interfaces on the one hand and simplifying management on the other.

In introducing its Egate gateways, RAD now offers a complete packet-over-SDH/SONET solution that also includes intelligent converters, CSUs/DSUs, intelligent modems and inverse multiplexers.

RAD Data Communications Ltd.